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“Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed this movement. I turned around and this furry thing is coming at me. He got close enough so I could just poke him with my toe, and I pushed him back a few feet. He just turned around and came right back, and I gave him a harder kick this time,” McGrath said.

The kick did not deter the groundhog.

McGrath went in his garage and closed the door, but the groundhog snuck through another open door.

McGrath said he headed inside and came back out a short time later thinking the animal was gone.

“Here he comes again and he almost got me that time,” he said.

McGrath ran for the front door as the groundhog pursued.

“I took off as fast as I could, which didn’t have to be too fast. He had pretty short legs,” he said. “And he follows me up the steps and started biting, clawing and really acting nasty.”

His wife snapped some photographs and they called animal control.

The angry rodent confronted the animal control officer, who had to get back into his truck for a short time. The groundhog was later put down in the yard. It will be tested for rabies.

McGrath was unscathed, but said he’ll take on precaution in the future.